Stephen A. Smith Gets Real On Viewership Drop After Caitlin Clark's ExitStephen A. Smith and Caitlin Clark (Images Credit: Getty Images)
Since her draft day, Caitlin Clark, the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, has been directly involved in increasing the league’s visibility and popularity. However, following the Indiana Fever and Clark’s playoffs exit against the Connecticut Sun on September 25, the WNBA has seen a massive drop in viewership. Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith recently reminded the league of the 22-year-old rookie’s impact.

On a recent episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Smith discussed the massive viewership recorded during the Conference Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty. However, he also noted a huge difference between the Aces-Liberty Game 1 and the Fever’s Game 1 against the Sun.

The ESPN analyst said, “Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever now eliminated. Game 1 of the Aces-Liberty matchup on Sunday drew an average of 929,000 viewers. It’s a good number for the WNBA on an NFL Sunday. However, that was down nearly 50% from last Sunday’s Fever-Sun contest. By the way, not only was viewership down, but attendance was as well.”

He added, “Do you want me to just say I told you so, or are you willing to say Stephen A. you did tell us? Really? Caitlin Clark is the golden goose.”

Stephen A. Smith Claims Caitlin Clark’s Performance Validate The “Attention”

With her spectacular performances, Clark earned the respect of NBA great LeBron James. According to Smith, Clark’s exit affected online viewership and game attendance. The 56-year-old mentioned the Fever rookie’s achievements this season, validating her huge audience.